


hurt and scars

by justasuperfan



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Badass Suki (Avatar), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Flashbacks, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Katara (Avatar)-centric, Lightningbending & Lightningbenders (Avatar), Mental Breakdown, Minor Sokka/Suki, POV Katara (Avatar), Whump, Zuko's Scar (Avatar)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:28:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26382661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justasuperfan/pseuds/justasuperfan
Summary: everyone has trouble adjusting after the war is over. lucky for them, Katara is always there...except when she isn't. 5 times katara helps the gaang, and one time she gets help for herself.
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Katara & Sokka (Avatar), Katara & Suki (Avatar), Katara & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Toph Beifong & Katara
Comments: 15
Kudos: 108





	1. electric love

**Author's Note:**

> hi again! this one is betaed (is that how you spell it?) by @rynliadon on Tumblr and ao3! ryn and Eliza have saved me from a lifetime of errors. 
> 
> enjoy the first chapter--aang!
> 
> TW: implied mental abuse, lightning, injuries

She knew Aang was in trouble the second she heard Azula’s laughter through the door. Why had he even wanted to visit her in the first place? Even Sokka thought it was a bad idea, and his plans tended to be even more insane. But the Avatar wouldn’t have any of it. He just kept going on and on about how she was just misunderstood and needed a second chance. Aang had decided, being the pacifist he was, that he would talk to her until she was strong enough to be released from the mental health facility she was staying at.

Of course, Katara knew the fire princess only needed to be there in the first place because of Ozai, but she couldn’t bring herself to feel bad for Azula. She’d struck two of her friends with lightning, tried to kill them multiple times, and fought with Katara until she was forced to freeze them both in a sheet of ice. The girl was insane. Katara couldn’t see why Aang thought she could ever get better.

Then came the maniac laughter, enraged shouts, and then the unmistakable sound of electricity ripping through the room. The scream that followed would haunt the waterbender forever.

She threw the door open and launched herself at Azula without really knowing what had happened. All she knew was that Aang was hurt, Aang was in trouble, he was going to die and he would never see any of his friends again and he would be all alone and—

Someone wrestled her off of the princess. “No! Let me go! Stop it!”

They didn’t let her go, and she only flailed for a minute before calming herself down.   
When her vision cleared, she took in her surroundings. Azula hadn’t stopped laughing, Aang was slumped in his chair, and guards were pulling the former princess out of the room in her wheelchair. “I’m the real ruler here! Don’t forget it!” Azula screamed as they shut the door behind her. Katara immediately ran to Aang’s side, the tears starting to pour steadily. Was he dead? Was he hurt? What had happened?

A small red mark started where his neck met his shoulders, and red and inflamed lines branched out like cherry trees, creating patterns on his skin. Katara felt a choking sob come out as the guards yelled orders to each other as they pulled in a stretcher for Aang to lie on.

“What happened?” Katara said, her voice cracking as her vision blurred.

“We’re so sorry. We didn’t know she could do that, I swear, miss!” one of the guards pleaded.

“What. Happened!?” She didn’t mean to yell, but her voice was shaking and her heart felt like it had been ripped out and forced down her throat. She couldn’t breathe. 

What if Aang was dead? How in the world would she be able to go on?

“Azula...she somehow breathed lightning instead of fire. She managed to hit the   
Avatar, but she didn’t keep it up for long,” another guard said. She sounded choked up as well.

“Is he dead?” Katara’s voice broke as she said it and she hated it. She cast a glance to the door that slammed closed behind the guards who’d taken Aang.

“We don’t think so. But it will take a while for him to recover.”

That managed to calm her down, but not much. She didn’t exactly know what she was doing, but the next minute she threw the door open and caught up to the guards as they pulled the Avatar through the courtyard. It would be okay. Katara could heal him. He would live. But it was hard to convince herself of those facts as she stared at his lifeless, scarred body.

What if this time she couldn’t heal him? 

...

She sat at his bedside long after the rest of Team Avatar had left. It had been hours since Azula had hit him with lightning, but her anxiety hadn’t waned one bit. Sokka was the last to leave after patting his sister on the back. They needed to eat and sleep, Katara knew that. It didn’t make it hurt any less knowing she was alone. 

That’s when Aang opened his eyes.

“Katara?” He tried sitting up, but winced and slid back into a laying position. “Wh-What happened?”

Katara felt more tears well up in her eyes as she grabbed his hand. “Azula happened. You have to be more careful, Aang, you don’t know what she’s capable of!”

Aang shrunk in on himself. “Sorry if I scared you, Katara. But I’m fine now!”

The waterbender smiled. “I know. It just hurt when I couldn’t protect you. I thought you were dead, Aang, that’s terrifying.”

“Sorry about that. Hey, why don’t we go get some dinner! I’m starving!”

“Okay. But only if you promise not to be stupid like that again.”

He sighed, but stood up and leaned on Katara. She watched him blush out of the corner of her eye before she suddenly felt his lips on her cheek. Her mouth made a surprised oh, and she felt an embarrassed heat rise in her cheeks, but she smiled. Maybe there was a reason she had been so scared when Aang was hurt.

“I promise.”


	2. on your mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the moon has always been a touchy subject for sokka. unfortunately, some people forget to not bring it up in front of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey everyone, just to let you know, chapter 3 of kiss from a rose is being betaed rn! another huge thanks to @rynliadon for revising this chapter!
> 
> TW: PTSD, sort of a panic attack

The fire crackled between them, dark clouds covering the stars like a blanket. A cool breeze swept through the campsite and carried the sound of chirping and howling. If Katara closed her eyes, she could almost imagine it was just like old times. Well, if six months ago counted as old times.

Katara wouldn’t have imagined in a million years that she would be laughing around a campfire with the Avatar, a Kyoshi warrior, the greatest Earthbender of all time, and the Fire Lord. She’d grown up in the South Pole, where Earthbenders and the Avatar were just old superstitions, stories to be told on particularly cold nights. But she wouldn’t trade her ragtag group of friends for the entire world. Even Sokka, that dumbass.

Well, if Sokka didn’t stop making stupid jokes, that is. “Hey, remember when I had that cactus juice in the desert? That was the best fun I’ve ever had. Maybe we could get some—”

“No!” Aang, Katara, and Zuko yelled at the same time.

“Sokka, you’re literally insane. You could’ve died from that stuff!” Katara said. Her brother may have been the smartest person she’d ever met, but he was still so, so stupid.

“I don’t know, I think I’d wanna feel Appa and Momo fighting with swords. That sounds pretty cool,” Toph remarked, grinning. Katara just huffed and sat back.

“Don’t encourage him.”

Aang smiled and patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry, we won’t let him be dumb anymore.” 

“Hey!”

Everyone laughed as Sokka pouted at his sister. The clouds shifted in the sky, allowing Yue’s light to shine over them. It was absolutely perfect. She ached for the time when every night had been like this, back when they didn’t have a care in the world. Well, they’d had many cares, considering the fact that they were rebuilding the world in the aftermath of the 100-year war, but she’d somehow felt freer back then than she ever had since. Eventually, though, they’d had to move away from the palace and... back home? Spirits, what a concept for a group who’d spent the past year (or longer) traveling. And now they had responsibilities. Different, non-life-threatening responsibilities, for a change. A newfound waterbender in the Southern Water Tribe wanted Katara to teach her Southern techniques, Sokka wanted to help their dad lead the tribe, Toph wanted to see her parents again (and if that didn’t work out, go back to Earth Rumble VI), Suki had her warriors and her island to protect, Zuko had a nation to run, and Aang... well, he had arguably the most important job in the world. And no matter how much she loved her friends, she knew she didn’t belong in the Fire Nation. So Team Avatar all went their separate ways. This was the first night in six months she’d spent time with any of them but Sokka.

She missed the nights they spent in the stables when the bedrooms were too confining. She missed holding Aang’s hand and laughing with her friends and training self-defense with Suki. She missed flying on Appa’s back; she even missed bickering with Toph! Katara missed so much that she knew she could never get back.

But at least she could have her friends back, finally. Until someone decided to mention the one thing that could unravel it all. “Wow, the moon is beautiful tonight,” Aang breathed, a little in awe. And just as he said it, his eyes went wide. “Oh no, I’m sorry, Sokka! I didn’t mean—”

“It’s okay, Aang,” Sokka tried to comfort him, but Katara noticed how his shoulders had gone rigid, eyebrows furrowed. “She is beautiful.”

Katara shared a meaningful look with Zuko. Suki winced. Aang kept apologizing, knowing it wouldn’t make a difference. But Sokka seemed fine, at least to anyone who didn’t know him as his sister did. She saw his wet eyes reflecting the clearing sky. She noticed how his hand was white as it gripped Suki’s. Toph, oblivious to Sokka’s emotional turmoil, continued joking and earning half-hearted laughs from the group.

After they slowly began retreating to their tents, Aang walked nervously up to Katara. “I really didn’t mean to upset him. Do you think he’s okay?” She heard the remorse in his voice. It was so hard seeing Aang blame himself for such an unintentional mistake.

She placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sure he’s fine. Go get some rest, I’ll check on him.”

The waterbender watched her boyfriend slump over to his tent before heading over to where her brother was sleeping. The quiet sobs were a dead giveaway that Sokka was not, in fact, over Yue’s death yet. Which was understandable. She’d been his first love, and the only one who he felt treated him like an equal to the rest of Team Avatar. He’d confessed that to his sister after a particularly bad PTSD attack one night, saying she treated him the same as she treated any bender. Katara knew how important Yue was to him, and she had just been stolen from him.

“Sokka?” She pulled back the tent flap gently. Her brother tried to hide under the thin covers, but Katara knew what he was doing and laid down next to him. “It’s okay. I know it hurts.”

He turned to face her, and the waterbender noticed the tears streaming down his face. “It’s not even that, it’s that everyone I’ve ever loved like that just gets taken away. What if Suki does too? Or Zuko?” Sokka caught himself as soon as he said it, and his eyes went wide.

Katara just smiled. Though they hadn’t said it, she knew Sokka and Zuko were more than just friends. “They won’t, Sokka. And if they do, I’ll kill whoever’s responsible right away. You’re not alone anymore. You don’t have to keep pretending like you are.”

He sniffed. “I was never alone, though. I always had you.”

And _oh_ , if Katara’s heart didn’t just break. She wrapped an arm around him and he buried his wet face in her shoulder. “Sorry for overreacting,” he mumbled.

“You’re not overreacting. I was the same about Mom. And I know Yue was important to you.”

“She was. She was just so... selfless, so loving, and she never treated anyone like they didn’t matter. She didn’t deserve the fate she got.”

“No. She didn’t.”

When Katara was sure her brother was asleep, she left the tent and found her boyfriend waiting outside. He seemed to be looking for an answer, so she nodded and threw her arms around him. The night faded around them and gave way to a new dawn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next up-zuko has more trouble with scars than he lets on


	3. i'm not ok

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> zuko has more trouble with his scar than he lets on

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> once again, thanks to @rynliadon for being my beta! hope you guys enjoy this chapter.

A royal dinner wasn’t exactly what Katara had planned for her weekend, and especially not a Fire Nation royal dinner. But Zuko needed her, and she was more than happy to be there for her friend. Plus, the state of current world affairs fascinated her, and she wanted to help in any way she could. The nations had fallen apart a hundred years ago, doing her part to piece them back together made her happier than anything.

So there she was, in the fire nation palace’s dining room, surrounded by Zuko, Aang, her dad, Chief Arnook, King Kuei, and all the advisors they could find. It was crowded and nerve-wracking, but she had her friends and family by her side. Being an incredible master waterbender didn’t hurt her nerves either.

Zuko, however, looked more nervous than ever. Strands of hair were falling out of his bun where he pulled at them, and he kept fidgeting and looking around. Was something wrong? Was it anything she could help him with? Or would he have to face yet another thing on his own?

“Alright, if we’re ready to begin, I’ll start by stating that the Northern Tribe is under great distress. We could use some help from troops to rebuild our city after it was destroyed.” Arnook said. He was trying to be respectful, but no one missed the blatantly angry look he shot at the Fire Lord. No one was ready to forgive the fire nation yet, no matter who the new leader was. Zuko blushed in shame but sat straight and tall.

Katara noticed his place at the table. He sat directly across from her, at the last chair on his right. Which was probably why he kept tilting his head and trying to position himself so the right side of his face was turned towards the other world leaders. As far as she knew, Katara and Sokka were the only ones who knew that Ozai hadn’t just branded his son for life, he’d also cause him to be half-blind and half-deaf. And that couldn’t be good for a formal meeting, never mind the first one since Ozai had been defeated.

“I deeply apologize on behalf of my nation for any and all devastation you’ve suffered at our hands. I don’t agree with any of my father's or grandfather’s actions, and I want you all to know that I will be a much different Fire Lord than him. Chief Arnook, I’ll send troops and supplies as soon as I can.” Zuko seemed like he knew what he was talking about, even as he fidgeted some more. Katara smiled as pride for him welled up in her chest. She’d always known he would be great in his new position.

The world leaders shared a glance, and then King Kuei spoke. Unfortunately, he was the farthest from Zuko and on his left. “The Earth Kingdom will need some assistance as well. I have just been informed that the lower rings and the outer wall have been greatly damaged.”

Zuko winced. “I-I’m sorry, what did you say?”

The king frowned. “I _said, my city needs assistance._ ”

Zuko’s frown became deeper as he tried tilting his head. Katara had never seen someone more embarrassed.

“Can you hear me? My advisors say I need to speak louder, but I think I’m being pretty loud right now.”

The Fire Lord fidgeted again, tugging strands of hair as he pushed his chair back. “My apologies, I’ll be back in a moment.”

Aang and Hakoda gave Katara a confused look, but the other leaders just seemed angry as Zuko fled the room. The waterbender stood up, bowing respectfully, and immediately followed after him. She found him in the hall, leaning against one of the many pillars in the palace.

“I’ll be back in a minute,” Zuko mumbled. His hands were covering his face, and Katara would probably be able to hear his breathing from miles away. 

“Take all the time you need.”

At the sound of her voice, Zuko uncovered his face and looked up quickly. “Katara? What are you doing out here?”

She moved to his side and found that the pillar was wide enough for two people to lean against while side by side. “I came to find you. Are you okay?”

He huffed out a breath that could’ve been either frustrated or scared. He mumbled something, then craned his head to look at the ceiling. “You know I’m half-deaf. Normally it’s fine, I’ve gotten used to it, but in meetings like that... sometimes I just wish I could be normal.”

Katara wanted to hug him and rock him back and forth, but she knew he hated touches like that. “Agni, Zuko, listen. No one is normal. And I’m sure you’ve heard that a million times, but it’s true. You just happen to be so much better than half the people on Earth. And yeah, you made some mistakes in the past, but who hasn’t? You can wish all you want, but none of us will ever be normal.”

She cringed. Her words almost sounded too harsh to cheer him up. But, surprisingly, he seemed to brighten a little. “Do you really think that?”

“Of course. Just explain, they’ll understand. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, Zuko.”

The Fire Lord gave her a small grin and put a hand on her shoulder. “Thank you, Katara. And thank you for not treating me differently.”

She more than knew what it was like to feel not good enough, or like she was supposed to feel ashamed of herself. It felt good to help her friends see beyond those feelings like she’d learned to. It felt good to help Zuko through his panic attacks and help him see that she and the others did care about him. It felt good to help him know he did matter.

And she would always be there for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next up-suki puts her skills to the test


	4. doctor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> suki puts her skills to the test

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have arrived. @rynliadon is my fricking hero go love her/them on tumblr
> 
> TW: injuries, fighting

The screaming had been her first warning.

Another Team Avatar reunion, this time in Ba Sing Se, took place two months after the last disaster of a camping trip. They’d collectively decided that half a year was way too long to wait to see each other again. Plus, everyone was pretty done with their responsibilities considering every day was more work. They were still just kids. They should’ve been playing games and laughing, not ruling entire nations and teaching new benders.

However, Suki obviously didn’t get the message that the weekend in the Earth Kingdom was purely for relaxation. She’d been itching to get up the whole day, to feel like she wasn’t useless.   
Unlike the rest of them, she enjoyed doing her job daily and never seemed to get tired of training the warriors. So, after a full day of doing nothing, she decided to see if she could recruit more people to her group. Sokka and Katara decided to join her so they could get some food for Appa on the way. And that went south very quickly.

Katara raced outside the shop just in time to see the end of the fight. Suki had a knee on a stranger’s chest and was saying something incomprehensible. She lifted her knee and the stranger scrambled away, just as the Kyoshi warrior noticed Katara standing a few feet away.

“Katara! I—did you get the stuff you needed?” She tried to seem inconspicuous, but failed. The waterbender took notice on the way she held her arm while hiding winces. Suki wasn’t usually the kind of person to get into a full-blown fight without a good reason. So what had happened?

“Do you want me to fix that?” Katara pointed to Suki’s arm, and the warrior sighed. 

“Please.”

...

Sokka hadn’t stopped ranting since they’d arrived back at the tea shop, but the two girls paid him no attention. Katara was busy using the water in her hands to fix Suki’s arm. The muscle had torn during the fight, but nothing too serious. Except the fact that she’d gotten in a fight in the first place.

The rest of the group wasn’t too happy about that either, but they all seemed to leave when they noticed Katara began healing Suki’s arm. They probably knew she was about to get the lecture of a lifetime. Katara supposed she should’ve been offended by that, but she actually didn’t mind. She liked being the mom friend sometimes.

“So, are you going to tell me what happened back there?”

The warrior winced, from either the pain or the confrontation. “Just a stupid person denouncing their heroes. That’s all.”

Katara raised her eyebrows. Suki would take a while to get talking, much like Zuko or Toph. But once she started talking, she didn’t stop. It was as if more words could justify the situation. That side of her was more like Sokka and Aang.

“So you fought them?”

“Well, yeah. I’m a trained warrior. I attack anyone who poses a threat to the kingdom and keep everyone safe.”

Something was off. Suki wasn’t telling the whole truth. Katara wished she had Toph with her so she could be sure of the lies. “Why did they pose a threat to the kingdom?”

Without the makeup, it was easy to tell when the warrior began blushing. “I told you. They were insulting you guys.”

“But what were they saying that was bad enough for you to attack them?”

Katara pulled the water back and stored it in her canteen. The arm was fully healed, since it was only a minor injury anyways. She almost wished it had taken longer though, because Suki stood to leave the second her arm was functioning again. And the waterbender still had questions that needed answering.

“Suki, wait! What did they say?”

Katara stood and followed Suki up the stairs to the room they were all sharing. No one was there, so it was perfect for an interrogation. “You can tell me anything, you know that right?” It was strange to be begging for information, since Katara was always the one to keep sensible, but she needed to get Suki talking.

A few more minutes of pestering, and the other girl finally cracked. “Fine! They were yelling to everyone about how you were a traitor to the water tribe and should be imprisoned. That’s why I didn’t want to tell you.”

Woah. That was not what she was expecting. But somehow, it hurt less than what she had been picturing. “Oh. Then I guess I should thank you.”

Suki smiled, but her cheeks were still red with anger. “You’re welcome.”

“But you have to promise me you won’t get into any more stupid fights, alright?”

The warrior’s faces softened. “Unless they insult any of you, I promise I won’t.”

That didn’t seem like a promise. But it would do. Because the last thing Katara wanted was to be mad at being defended.

Katara was glad to have Suki in her group.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter-toph is more hurt then she likes to let on


	5. what good am i

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> toph has a hard time dealing with her past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you know the drill-RYN IS GREAT. currently working on prompts from my zukka prompt list if u want to submit one! 
> 
> TW: referenced abuse, physical fighting

“Toph, stop! You’re going to hurt somebody!” Katara reached for the smaller girl as fear struck her heart. Of course, she knew Toph could see just fine with her feet, but logic didn’t stop her maternal instincts from taking over. Especially in that situation. Toph shouldn’t just go around sparring with her friends whenever she wanted to!

Toph just scoffed. “I’m fine, Sugar Queen! You’re forgetting I’ve saved your ass more than once.”

Aang shot a column of fire at her and she dodged easily, countering by raising the rocks under his feet. Aang grinned. “Nice hit, Toph!” He leaped off his new podium and trapped the girl in the middle of a tornado.

Katara winced. How could they be so careless? Someone would get hurt, she just knew it, and she wasn’t ready to heal another fatal injury. Maybe it was just that she was afraid, but she had to fight the urge to yell at them to stop right then.

A flurry of air and rocks filled her eyesight. Her heart almost stopped as visions of Aang’s unconscious body lying in her arms flashed through her mind. She couldn’t take it anymore! “Alright, I’m calling this off right now. There’s no need for fighting anymore, the war has been over for almost a year!”

“You never know when we’ll need to fight again, Katara,” Aang said cheerily as he flew past her.

“No! Just stop!”

Immediately, her boyfriend floated back onto the ground, concern in his eyes. “Is something wrong?”

“She’s just being dramatic.” Toph stepped out of the dissipating tornado, irritated. “Just let us be, sweetheart.”

“No, she’s right. Maybe we should stop.”

Katara let out a breath in relief. That was her second mistake. After what appeared to be much internal debate, Toph stomped off.

“Are you okay, Katara?” Aang looked at her, still obviously concerned.

“I’m fine, I think.” Katara blinked harder to keep the tears away. “I was just remembering that day, when Azula...”

Aang nodded. “I’m fine, Katara, I promise. But I’m here if you want to talk about it.” He hugged her then, hard. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Katara hung onto him, thinking. “I think I want to talk to my dad about it, actually. We haven’t had a good talk in a while.”

“Okay!” he said, pecking her on the cheek. “I’m gonna go meditate. Love you.”

“I love you too,” she said as she walked off to find her dad. But she stopped when she heard sniffling in the hallway. Who was that? Were they crying?

She followed the sounds until she came upon a secluded alcove that she would’ve missed if she weren’t looking for it. And sitting   
against the wall, tears pouring down her face, was Toph. Huh?

Katara sank to her knees as a pang of sadness hit her heart. “Toph? You okay?” “Go away.”

“Not until you tell me what’s wrong.”

Toph sniffled and wiped her nose on her long sleeves. “I said leave me alone.”

Katara sighed. She clearly wasn’t going to get anything out of Toph anytime soon, so she slumped against the wall to join her.

“You know... I’m sorry for being rude. I was just scared.”

The uncomfortable silence lasted almost too long before an answer came, “It's okay. You just... reminded me of my parents. They never wanted me to do anything because they thought I was helpless.”

Katara laid a hand on Toph’s leg as the realization hit her. “Toph, I don't think you’re helpless! I just thought you might hurt Aang, and I didn’t want to have to see that again.”

“So... it didn’t scare you that I was fighting?”

“Well, yes, but I know you can handle yourself. I wasn’t afraid you were going to get hurt.”

Toph smiled. “Thanks, Sugar Queen. It’s just hard to forget how they treated me sometimes.”

“I understand. It’s hard to get past abuse. ”

At that, Toph snapped her head up in alarm. “That was abuse? I just thought they didn’t understand me.”

“Well, that’s true, but they basically kept you locked up. I’m not going to outright say it’s abuse when it might not be, but it sounds like it to me,” Katara said carefully. She might have been making things worse, but she wasn’t exactly good at feelings when it came to Toph.

The smaller girl shrugged. “I guess you’re right. I never really thought of it that way but... they did treat me horribly. I’m glad I got to come with you guys instead.”

“I’m glad you came too.”

“Really? I thought you hated me.”

Katara squeezed Toph’s hand. “Of course not. You’re amazing, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

They smiled, hand in hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter-katara finally gets the hugs she’s needed for a while


	6. haunted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> katara finally gets the hugs she’s needed for a while

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i’m so sad this us over! thanks so much @rynliadin for editing these since i suck at writing :)
> 
> i’m not slacking off i SWEAR i’m still working on zukka prompts it just takes me a while to get in thr gith mindset for writing
> 
> TW: implied ptsd, nightmares

_“Where’s Mom?” Sokka looked to Katara, fear painting his features. Even at only 9 years old, he could sense something bad had happened. It wasn’t fair that they’d had to face the weight of the world at such a young age._

Katara cradled her head on her hands. Why couldn’t she stop thinking? She should’ve been asleep. Free of the memories and the pain. But terrible thoughts just kept forcing themselves into her head, more often than she’d ever care to admit. _What if he was hurt? Or dead? Anything could’ve happened to him and Aang in the spirit world._

She trembled and buried herself further in the sheets. _Stop, stop, stop..._

_“Zuko!” She tried to run towards the boy who jolted on the ground. Azula charged towards her, followed by a trail of terrifying lightning. She was going to die. Zuko was going to die. She hadn’t even gotten a chance to say goodbye to her family._

A scream tore through Katara’s throat, tears pouring down her cheeks. She hated remembering. She hated all the times she’d had to fear for her or her friends’ lives. There were too many times they’d had to grow up too fast.

The door slammed open and candlelight spilled in from the hallway. “Katara? Are you okay?!” She didn’t recognize his voice until Sokka was about a foot in front of her. She tried to still her shaking shoulders to no avail.

“It was just a nightmare, Sokka,” she said, putting most of her effort into keeping her voice even. I’m okay.” Katara was, in fact, not okay. She wanted a hug, and she normally wasn’t above asking for one. But everyone had been falling apart recently. It was up to her to stay strong for them, to make sure that they were okay in the aftermath of everything they’d been through. They were the most important people, not just to the whole world, but to her.

Unfortunately, Sokka didn’t seem to buy her act. He was far smarter than he gave himself credit for. More footsteps echoed down the hall as Sokka pulled himself under Katara’s sheets, and two small silhouettes appeared in the doorway. “Katara? Are you alright!?” Aang ran to her bedside and checked her temperature before wrapping his arms around her. She smiled. A warmth spread through her at his touch.

“Hey, sugar queen, don’t scare me like that.” Toph followed Aang and crawled under the covers at the end of the bed.

“Guys, I appreciate the effort, but I’m fine. You should all go back to your own beds.” She felt some emotion she couldn’t place. Warm, but cold at the same time. Happy, but somewhat empty. Katara had helped them so much over the years that it felt good to get recognition and love, but she also knew that letting her guard down would make them think they couldn’t be weak around her. That was the last thing she wanted. If she didn’t help them, who would?

As the waterbender tried to coax the newcomers out of her bed half-heartedly, two more pairs of staggered footsteps came from the hallway. Zuko and Suki arrived, both of them fretting over Katara as if she was a glass doll. After they finished checking for nonexistent injuries, both of them nudged Sokka over until Aang and Katara were practically hanging off the bed. They needed to stop fighting over who got to lay next to Katara’s brother. What did they see in him?

In the end, Zuko settled on lying next to Toph at Katara’s feet, and Suki snuggled up with Sokka. (That earned her a few jealous looks from a certain firebender.) When they were finally all settled, and a comforting smile covered the waterbender’s face, the questions started.

“So what happened?” Suki asked in a hushed tone.

“I told you. Just some nightmares.”

“Do you want to talk about them?” Aang asked. He snuggled his girlfriend closer.

“It’s just... it’s been a rough few years, I guess. I—” She forced her tears back down and swallowed hard. There was no way she would break down in front of them. There was no way they’d let her help them if they knew she couldn’t handle a few bad memories. “I’ve tried to stay strong. I really have.”

“It’s hard, Sugar Queen. We get it.” Toph punched Katara’s leg in affection. 

Zuko placed a hand on hers. “Yeah, everyone has bad memories.”

She felt the tears leak through against her will, but they were born of gratitude rather than despair. “Thanks. I just thought that if you saw me like this, you would want to help me instead of the other way around.”

A collective gasp passed through them. “Katara, of course, w e want to help you! You can’t be perfect all the time, and we understand that. And it’s okay if you need to take a break from helping others and focus on yourself!” Suki said.

“We love you, Katara. Just because you’re great at comforting doesn’t mean we can’t comfort you.” Zuko smiled, though it was hard to see in the dark.

“I love you guys too. So much.” That brought about a chorus of affectionate words that she beamed at.

After a few minutes of silence, Katara nudged Sokka. “You’ve been quiet.” Sokka snored in response. The rest of Team Avatar burst into laughter.

In the morning, Katara woke to find her friends still curled up around her. She blinked in the early light and then rested her head gently on the pillow. She really did have the best friends in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> love you all! comments and kudos are my life force


End file.
